On the outskirts of Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, a man said that he and his son protesting near the aluf Sade intersection had been sprayed with pepper spray through a driving force that was inactive to give them a bloodbath, according to The Hebrew media.
Both filed a complaint with the police, but no arrests were reported.
– Bar Peleg (@bar_peleg) July 25, 2020
In Jerusalem, protesters leaving a demonstration opposed to Netanyahu outdoors in his apartment said they were harassed or attacked through an organization of other people dressed in black on nearby Lincoln Street.
One user told the Haaretz that he and his friend had been arrested through the organization and physically attacked after refusing to answer whether they were for or against Netanyahu.
Police said a 27-year-old boy was discovered on Lincoln Street with pepper spray, a flare and drugs. He said five other people had been arrested for disrupting public order. The pepper spray guy was reportedly also arrested.
On Thursday, others leaving a past outdoor rally at Netanyahu’s apartment also said they had been attacked through an organization of other members of the Beitar Jerusalem football club’s La Familia gang, who had accumulated in Netanyahu. The organization is known to be concerned about racist and homophobic attacks in the city, as well as violence against those of other football teams.
Among those to speak out against the attacks on the protesters was Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who tweeted that “the right to protest is sacred.”
“Anyone who raises his hand against the protesters and threatens violence will have to be seriously punished,” he wrote.
Economy Minister Amir Peretz also condemned the attack. “The right to protest is a basic right granted to each and every Israeli citizen,” he wrote, calling the police at demonstrators and “acting temporarily in opposition to the attackers.”
Ofir Libstein, head of the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council, spoke about “the brutal violence we saw tonight.”
“We will not allow an organization of criminals to violate the democratic rights of the other inhabitants of Sha’ar Hanegev.”
The attacks came days after The Minister of Public Security, Amir Ohana, complained that the police treated protesters opposing Netanyahu with children’s gloves.
Netanyahu and some of his supporters have spoken out about the protesters as “anarchists.”
The protests attracted thousands of angry Israelis into government corruption, control of the coronavirus crisis, and other ills. Saturday’s demonstrations gave the impression of being the biggest to date since the protests began to escalate this month.